Thesis Title:

Graduate Dept: Earth Science

Degree Sought: MS

Research Advisor: Dr. Pierre Andre-Jacinthe

Lab Website: Click Here

Teacher Partner: Discovering the Science of the Environment

Partner School:

School URL: Click Here

Research Goal

I am interested in understanding how constructed wetlands reduce pollutants in urban and agricultural watersheds.

Description of Your Research

I am in the beginning phases of developing a research project; my research interest is narrowed down to investigating an aspect of nutrient conversion of agricultural or urban runoff using constructed wetlands.

Examples Of How My Research Is Integrated Into My GK-12 Experience

My goal is to write a research proposal by the end of the semester and use the winter months to develop a related lesson to be used in the Discovering the Science of the Environment (DSE) mobile trailer environmental science education program. This lesson will be web-based, incorporating technology and utilizing an outdoor classroom setting. Each lesson takes a great deal time to develop since data entry pages are linked to the web, new equipment may need to be purchased, and each experiment has an introductory lesson taught the previous day. My lesson will focus on teaching students how microbes function in soil.

Currently, My GK-12 Classroom Is Investigating

This fall the DSE program will visit 4 schools, 20 classrooms, teaching over 1500 students in a plethora of outdoor science lessons in the Indianapolis area. Currently, we are spending 3 weeks guiding students in understanding the water quality of a nearby stream at Craig Middle School in Indianapolis. Each lesson takes two days to complete. The introductory lesson on day 1 familiarizes students with what is a watershed and how rivers function using a hands-on river simulator, and interactive mapping of USGS HUC 8,11, and 14 watersheds using Google Earth.  Each teacher’s class will focus on a different aspect of how to measure water quality. The first week of classes will focus on physical properties of their stream, the second on biological activity in their stream, and the third will focus on water chemistry. By the end of the three weeks, each teacher will share data amongst classrooms to explore the overall quality of their stream.